Facial Feminization Surgery

Facial Feminization surgery or commonly known as FFS is a kind of plastic surgery that is designed to alter the masculine facial features to give a more classically feminine shape and appearance. Facial feminization process can be done on either males or females but it is most done in transgender patients in Mumbai India. For females with prominent forehead and or wide jaws this is called as facial harmonization surgery. Most transgender patients in India opt for facial feminization because it is an important part of transitioning in their true gender and this surgery is commonly referred to as facial gender confirmation surgery.

The important part to remember about facial feminization surgery in Mumbai India is that it is a highly specialized and customized surgery and only a few specialized doctors and surgeons like Dr. Debraj Shome of The Esthetic Clinics, Mumbai India can do it successfully. Facial feminization surgery has various parts to it such as the upper third of the face, rhinoplasty, check implants, lips, chain and jaw contouring, reduction of Adam’s apply and other procedures.

Who is a suitable candidate for Facial Feminization surgery in Mumbai India?

Facial feminization is also sought by Cross dressers and drag queens. Suitable candidates for FFS are the ones whose bones have stopped growing and are physiologically ready to undergo this change. The surgeon will take radiographs of the mandible of the wrist bones to determine if the one growth has stopped or not.

The difference in facial structures

Facial feminization surgery makes various changes in the face.

The male hairline is higher than female and therefore it is moved forward and given a rounded shape using hair transplantation or scalp advance procedures.

Facial feminization surgery uses forehead reconstruction procedure to reshape the brow to a more feminine look. Orthopaedic plates and screws are used to fix the forehead in place.

The eyebrows of men are lower than that of females. In the brow lift the eyebrows are lifted above the brow ridges to give a more womanly appearance.

FFS surgeons also use orbital reconstruction to reshape the area of eyes to be smaller, and appear to be located higher on the face.

Rhinoplasty is one of the most important procedures of facial feminization procedures. The male nose is larger, longer and wider and the tip is harder than that of female. Hence various specialized procedures such as removing and reshaping the bone, cartilage and is generally done as an open procedure. At the same time the Rhinoplasty also ensures that the nasal functions are not tempered with.

Females have fuller and more projected cheeks than males and the cheeks are reshaped by cutting away the bones in such a way that a triangle is formed at the point of the chin. Cheek implants are used which are harvested from other parts of the body. This has to be done very carefully to ensure long terms results.

Apart from these procedures to make subtle changes in lips is done using dermal fillers, chin and jaw contouring is done to change the wide and long appearance, the Adam’s apple is reduced without leaving a scar using a process called chondrolaryngoplasty.

Various beautification processes are also done along with FFS such as blepharoplasty to lift the sagging eyelids and remove puffy eyelids and a face and neck lift for a firmer appearance.

Considerations for Facial Feminization

Facial feminization is all about creating a more harmonious and still a natural looking female look. The number and types of procedures needed to complete the look is decided by the surgeon on the examination of the patient. The point to keep in mind that it takes only a fraction of a second for an eye to decide the gender of the face and of all the features of the body the face is what everybody will notice. Therefore facial feminization is a carefully thought out process.

The face is made of two parts the bony structure and the soft tissues. While the soft tissue (skin, fat and muscle) is subject to many external factors such as age, stress, health, environment etc. the bony structure remains the same. Therefore the effect of surgery in a long term on the soft tissues is difficult to predict but changes in the facial skeleton will remain unchanged.

Therefore considering this difference is important for the facial feminization procedure. A good surgeon in India like Dr Debraj Shome understands the difference between make and female facial skeletons and is able to redefine the skeleton to give a more natural looking feminine face. The male is distinguished from the female by through some specific features such as forehead, nose, jaw and chin and distribution of facial fat.

Therefore this is no laid down protocol for facial feminization surgery but instead the procedures are selected on the basis of the requirement of final results. The face is usually categorized in two parts the primary and secondary areas that need work to get the final results. The surgeon works with the patients to get a clear idea of the final results that are expected.